In the IEEE 802.11 standard, an access point (AP) can be connected to a distribution system (DS) via a wired Ethernet connection. In some scenarios, some access points may not have wired Ethernet connection to a distribution system and may use a wireless DS link to connect to the distribution system. However, the implementation of the wireless DS link requires the use of a 4-address IEEE 802.11 frame format that is not supported by a majority of deployed access points.